11 Strength

Oh – what if it’s true… what my heart saysOh – what’ll I doWhat if this feeling becomes hard to part with

Oh – what if it’s true … better ask the man insideOh oh – there seem to be twoOne steals the love and the other one hides

Yeah – can we call it a loanTill I’m paid in full for the seeds I’ve sownYeah – can we say that I’ve grownIn some way that we have yet to be shown

Call It A Loan – Jackson BrowneHold Out – 1980

It can be said that Strength comes from knowing yourself. I think that this is true and that beginning to come to terms with life on The Wheel will help us to develop this kind of Strength.

I often find myself thinking of Strength as a kind of marriage. The lion and the lady live side by side and the Lady has the lion on a leash. In this situation, it would be very easy for the lion to give his lady a man-sized bite or for the lady to strangle her lion with the leash. Although, if you look at the picture it is quite easy to see that even though this is possible it appears unlikely as the lion and the lady are quite friendly.

Of course, you probably realize by now that marriages are not always this easy. It is possible that something on the horizon may attract the attention of the lady so that she turns and looks. This could cause the leash to tighten which would frighten the lion, and so he would turn and give the lady a bite to try to save himself. Or, the lion could just be feeling tired and take a bit of a yawn. To the lady, it may appear that she is about to get chomped and so she would quickly pull the leash tight and strangle her friend.

From the outside, these reactions are obviously unnecessary, but when things are so close to home it is harder to be clear about what is happening.

Communication is the key to making this marriage easier. If the lion & the lady always let each other know what they are doing and why, the chances of such fearful reactions are greatly lessened.

Now if you can think of our friendly lion & lady as living within yourself it will help you to come to terms with your actions and re-actions by becoming aware of what the different parts of yourself are up to. This will also help you to make the most of the opportunities that are lying around (ie. the crystals lying on the ground).

Divinatory Meanings

Standing firm against difficulties. Opportunities that can be found from within. Balance between opposing sides. A successful relationship. Thinking before reacting, Coming to terms with your animal nature. Extra strength & abilities coming from harmony within.